Named after Lord Shiva's Rudra avatar (incarnation), Rudraprayag is an ancient holy town situated at the confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers, at a distance of 34 km from Srinagar in the Garhwal region. Rudraprayag marks the fourth confluence between Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers. The fifth and final union takes place at Devprayag where the Alaknanda river joins Bhagirathi to form the Ganga and flow down to the plains.

While the town is known for revered temples and pristine natural beauty, the presence of two separate routes for Badrinath (around 150 km away) and Kedarnath Dham (around 50 km away) from Rudraprayag make it an important destination for religious tourism, attracting tourists and devotees throughout the year, who make a beeline for the Shiva and Jagdamba temples here. Headquarters of the eponymous district, the region is blessed with natural beauty and the town is surrounded by lakes and glaciers. Hindu mythology says that to master the mysteries of music, sage Narad did a severe penance to appease Lord Shiva, who appeared in his Rudra avatar to bless Narad. The Pandava  Dance, a dance form based on the dance and music of the Kaurava and Pandavas as described in the epic Mahabharata, is very popular among locals in this district. It is believed that after Kurukshetra war, to repent for the death of kin, the Pandavas visited this region to pray to Lord Shiva. Even today, locals here celebrate Pandav Leela in the memory of that visit.

Near Rudraprayag, around 30 km away, stands the Kartikswami Temple.